Season 31
by Brianna Summers
Summary: Stormy Summers, native of Johto, is finally on her Pokemon journey. With a strange and stubborn starter Pokemon at her side, can she overcome the challenges she faces on the way to the Pokemon League? Join her as she, her friends, and their Pokemon make their way through Johto!


**(A/N) **

**Hello and welcome to the wonderful world of Pokémon! **

**Hehe, Professor Oak's supposed to say that. But oh well, I'm as good as you'll get! **

**This entire story (as far as I know, at least for right now) takes place in Johto, and the new trainer is Stormy Summers (whose name is both a pun on the weather and part of my own pen name, 'Brianna Summers'), a brown-haired twelve-year-old who lives with her mother and a shiny Skitty named Niko. Her half-sister Melissa, who is an adult, is staying with Stormy and her mother for a while, and has brought along a few Pokémon, including a mischievous Growlithe...**

**But anyway, this is the story of Stormy, the Pokémon she bonds with, the people she meets (including Ash and Misty!), and the adventures they have together.**

**I have one thing left to say:**

**Enjoy!**

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**NARRATOR: It's a bright, sunny morning in New Bark Town! On this particular morning, a special event is being held at Professor Elm's Pokémon Research Lab. Three lucky aspiring Pokémon trainers will receive their first Pokémon. Well, if they don't show up late, that is!**

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Stormy yawned and stretched sleepily. It was too early in the morning, like always. The brown-haired girl was not a morning person, and waking up late was not an uncommon occurrence.

An orange, dog-like creature entered the room, barking. Grumbling, Stormy threw a Chikorita pokédoll at it, hoping it would leave. Unfortunately, the action did have that effect, but not in the way she had wanted. The Pokémon snatched the toy, growling happily, and rushed back out of the room. "Hey!" she called after it. "Come back here with that, Flame!" But the creature was gone.

Sighing, Stormy got out of bed and stumbled down the hallway after the puppy Pokémon. Finding that it had likely taken its prize downstairs, she followed it in hopes of retrieving the pokédoll. No such luck – her mother was in the kitchen, and, seeing her daughter, walked over and embraced her in a hug.

"Good morning, dear. How did you sleep?"

"Fine, until Flame woke me up." she mumbled. "He took off with Chikorita."

The older woman laughed. "Haven't you learned, Stormy? I would think so, after he chewed Sneasel to bits."

"Apparently not. And I still haven't gotten a new Sneasel." she complained.

"Well, Stormy, that was only last week." her mother reasoned. "My, you certainly aren't a very cheerful person in the mornings."

"She never is." chuckled another woman as she entered the room, carrying a fluffy green object and trailed by a shamefaced orange Pokémon. "I believe this is yours, Storm cloud?" she inquired, holding the pokédoll out to the girl.

"Yeah. Thanks, Melissa." Stormy muttered flatly, frowning at the nickname before taking the item from her half-sister.

"I'm sorry about Flame. I've never had this trouble before." Melissa blushed, brushing back her long back hair.

"Don't worry about it." Stormy's mother chirped. "You're only here for a little while, and he's no problem as long as Stormy stops throwing things at him."

The comment made the younger girl huff. "It works with Niko." she growled, referencing the shiny crimson-colored Skitty that was currently asleep on the dining room table.

"Yes," her mother sighed with impatience, picking the aforementioned Pokémon off of the table and stroking it, "but Niko is a Skitty, not a Growlithe." she said, smiling as the awakened creature purred and mewled in joy as it lay in her arms. "Now, breakfast is almost ready, so why don't you go get dressed?" she suggested, eying the girl's purple flannel pajamas and messy brown hair. "Ow, Niko, stop that!" Her command at the Skitty, who had bitten one of her fingers playfully, emitted a giggle from both of the other humans.

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"Stormy, let's go, you have to eat quick or you're going to be late!" Melissa called as she walked up the stairs.

"I'm coming!" Stormy shouted in return, stuffing the last few necessities in her bag.

"Well, hurry up, will you?" the black-haired woman peeked in the door.

"I am hurrying." the younger girl shot back.

"This isn't very mature, you know, showing up late."

"Oh, what _ever_." Stormy snapped, sticking her tongue out.

"See what I mean? Totally childish."

"I am not! I'm going to get a Pokémon today, so that means I'm very responsible."

"Yeah right."

Slinging the bag over her shoulder with a huff, Stormy pushed past Melissa and hurried into the kitchen, sitting at the table in front of a full plate. Minutes later, it was empty, and the girl was out the door.

"Gee," Melissa remarked, flipping her midnight-colored bangs, "she's excited, huh?"

The run to the Pokémon lab was no problem for Stormy, who made it in minutes. Just in time, in fact – or so she thought.

"Well, well." The professor greeted her, "She finally shows up. How are you, Stormy?"

"I'm excited!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "And, didn't I...make it on time?"

"Unfortunately, no." Professor Elm frowned with a shrug. "Three other trainers - Ethan, Kris, and Lyra, I believe - came by already. The event is over. Cyndaquil, Crocodile, and Chikorita are all gone."

"What?" Stormy cried. "But-but when will you get more?"

"I'll have more when the eggs hatch at the daycare center by Goldenrod City!" the chocolate-haired professor beamed in glee. "I've got plenty more on the way. But the daycare man doesn't know when they'll hatch. It could be months!"

"Months?" the girl croaked. "But I've waited twelve years already! I want a Pokémon, too."

"Oh, don't worry!" Professor Elm assured her. "I think I've got something you'll really like!"

"Um... okay." Stormy agreed reluctantly. She knew the professor was scatterbrained, and could end up giving her something absurd. He walked over to the cylindrical stand where the three starters' pokéballs had been kept and pressed a button on the silver dome in the center. The dome split down the center and parted, revealing a pokéball with a moon sticker on the center circle. The professor picked it up and turned back to Stormy, placing it in her hands. For a few moments, all she could do was stare at it.

"Professor Juniper sent me this Pokémon from all the way over in Unova to study it, but I simply haven't had the time to work with it. It's the same level as the other starters, so I think you should be able to handle it just fine. Well, what are you waiting for? Go on. Open it." He urged.

Slowly Stormy pushed the button in the center. The ball opened, and a white light shot out, reaching for the ground between the two people, where it molded into the shape of a small creature. Eventually the light faded, and the Pokémon sitting in between them was revealed to be a purple-and-cream colored feline.

"What on earth is that?" Stormy cried, reeling back just a little in shock. "I've never seen anything like that before!"

"Meet Purrloin!" the professor shouted gleefully. "Isn't she wonderful?"

Stormy bent down to look at the creature's green eyes. "She looks kinda weird to me." Vexed by the comment, the Pokémon slashed at the girl's face with sharp claws. "Ow!"

"New note!" Professor Elm cheered, grabbing a clipboard of papers. "'When angered, Purrloin will fight back with claws!'"

"How do you keep all of this organized?" Stormy questioned.

"I don't." the man replied simply, revealing the clipboard's papers, "I'm writing on the back of a takeout menu!"

"Oh." the brunette sighed before glancing down at the Pokémon beside her. "Well, if you and I are going to be partners, I might as well name you. How do you like 'Purrla'?"

The Purrloin simply thrashed its scythe-like tail from side to side and licked a violet front paw with a shockingly pink tongue. There was no response from the creature.

"I guess you like it fine, then. You didn't attack me, after all."

Saying a goodbye to the professor, Stormy walked outside. She was halfway out the door before realizing that her new Pokémon wasn't following her.

"Well, come on, Purrla." she called back to the feline, motioning for it to accompany her.

Not a purple muscle moved.

Grunting, Stormy pulled out the pokéball and pressed the button. "Purrla, return." But with a quick swipe of its tail, the red light from the ball was severed, and the Purrloin simply rose and strutted out the door in front of its trainer.

Once outside, she found a pair of people waiting for her. Her mother beamed at her, and Melissa followed suit.

"So?" the black-haired woman inquired. "What Pokémon did you get?"

Stormy searched the nearby landscape with her eyes, finding the bratty feline smirking at her from a nearby tree. She pointed. "That one."

The two women craned their necks to try to see the Pokémon. "Oh." was her mother's reaction.

Melissa's reaction, however, was different: she squealed. "Ooh!" she cried, clasping her hands together. "It's so _cute_!"

"I don't know if that's the word I would use to describe her." Stormy admitted. "She's a bit of a snob."

"Surely she's not _that_ bad." Melissa reasoned, doubting her half-sister's reluctant words. "Maybe she's just shy."

"She's already scratched me, and I haven't had her for ten minutes!"

"Stormy," her mother interrupted the two's argument, "she's purple."

"Yeah." the brunette girl replied slowly to the obvious statement. "She is."

"She matches your eyes."

"Wow, you're right!" Melissa gasped. "Almost the exact same color!"

Stormy shrugged. "Yeah, guess so, huh?"

After a few moments of silence, the Purrloin yawned, stretched, and hopped down delicately from the tree limb, sauntering over to sit on Stormy's foot. "Well," her trainer sighed, shifting her bag from one shoulder to the other, "I guess we should be going."

"Dear," the oldest woman whimpered, wrapping her arms around the girl, "Shouldn't you perhaps train around New Bark for a little while, so she can get stronger, before you leave?"

"Cherrygrove City's not that far, Mom." Stormy whined. "I think we can make it there before sundown, but I'll have to go."

"All right." The woman relented, stepping back from the twelve-year-old.

"You had better beat Falkner for me on the first try, okay?" Melissa instructed, wagging a finger at her half-sister. "He left my Chikorita in critical condition! Luckily the Pokémon center was really close to his gym."

"Doesn't Falkner specialize in flying types?" Stormy asked, receiving a nod. "Well, that was your fault. Using a grass type against a flying type! Even _I_ know that's a bad idea."

"It wasn't like I had any really good Pokémon back then. He is the first gym, after all." Melissa scoffed, flipping her black bangs.

The three were interrupted by the opening of the lab door. Professor Elm stepped out, carrying a multitude of objects.

"Stormy! Thank goodness I caught you before you left! I almost forgot to give you these. Your pokédex," he explained as he handed the girl a red rectangular object, "and pokéballs." he held out a hand with five red-and-white spheres. "You already have Purrla's ball, and you can only carry six at a time, so here's five more. Speaking of Purrla, where is she?"

Stormy looked down at her feet, where moments ago the feline had been sitting. Now she was gone.

"I don't know!" she cried, looking around. "She was just here."

"Don't worry, here she is!" Melissa called, pulling the purple Pokémon out of a bush. "Aren't you a cutie? Yes, you are!" the black-haired woman cooed, rubbing her cheek against the creature's. Stormy was ready to call out a warning when she realized Purrla was actually enjoying the affections, purring loudly enough to be heard.

"Isn't that nice?" Professor Elm chuckled. "Now, to use the pokédex, just press the blue button." The brunette did as instructed and the flaps opened, one rotating to the side, the other up top. "Now press it again while pointing at a Pokémon."

Stormy stretched her arm out towards Purrla, who was still enjoying the company of her half-sister, and pressed the button. A picture of a Purrloin appeared on the screen, and the digital voice of the device explained everything it knew:

"_Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon. Purrloin fools people into letting their guard down so it can steal their possessions. When angered, it uses its claws to fight back."_

As the last sentence was read, Stormy glared at the professor.

"What? It's true, isn't it?" he defended.

"I guess." Stormy grumbled, pulling from the pocket of her bag a pokéball adorned with a moon sticker. "Purrla, it's time to go. Return." But the red light was slashed by the creature's tail as she hissed. Frowning, the girl attempted again to recall her Pokémon, holding out the ball. "Purrla, return." Again the light was gashed, and again she tried. "I said, _return_." Once more the neon light was severed. "Why won't you listen to me?" she cried angrily.

"Some Pokémon won't obey their trainers at first because they don't take a liking to them." Professor Elm explained. "I believe this is the case with you and Purrla."

"But why doesn't she like me?"

"As I recall, you did say she looked weird."

Stormy sighed. "Oh well. She can travel outside of the ball, then." she shrugged. "I just hope she obeys me in battle."

"I would like to say she's trained to," the professor admitted, "but like I said, I haven't had any time to work with her. I don't even know what Professor Juniper taught her, if anything."

"Why don't you battle me?" Melissa suggested. "That way you can be sure she'll battle for you against a wild Pokémon."

"Good idea!" Stormy's mother said in support.

"Okay." the brunette agreed. "Purrla, we're going to battle!"

"_Parr-loin._" the creature drawled lazily. Melissa plucked a pokéball from her belt and summoned the creature she was currently training.

"Okay, go, Poochyena!" she cried, tossing the ball up into the air. It opened, revealing a red beam that shaped itself to the form of a black and gray Pokémon that shook its fluffy fur.

"I didn't know you had one of those." Stormy exclaimed, pulling out her new pokédex and pressing the button while pointing it at the dog-like creature.

"_Poochyena, the Bite Pokémon. Poochyena is the pre-evolved form of Mightyena. Its biting strength is superior to other Pokémon, and has the endurance to chase opponents down until completely exhausted."_

"Wow," she gasped lightly, "We better watch out, Purrla." She looked back at the feline, and was surprised to find her cool attitude completely changed. She was standing on all fours, the violet fur along her back raised in fear and anger. Her green eyes were narrowed, and she was hissing and spitting. Poochyena simply stared calmly at her, punctuating the violent noises with low growls.

"Poochyena, use tackle attack!" Melissa called out to her Pokémon. It hurried to comply, barreling full speed at Purrla.

"Purrla, dodge it!" Stormy directed. Out of fear, she did as asked. "Now use scratch!"

The creature reared back on her back paws, extending her vicious claws towards the attacking Pokémon as it stormed towards her. At the last second, she jumped, raking them down the Poochyena's furry gray back as it dashed under her airborne body. It howled in pain, causing a startled look to cross Purrla's face.

"Good job, Purrla!" her trainer yelled. "Try scratch again!"

Before the feline could do anything, however, Melissa shouted, "Poochyena, use howl and then tackle!"

The canine tilted its black muzzle towards the sky and loosed a howl that chilled all nearby. It was a deep, mournful sound that sent shivers up everyone's spine; so much so for its battle opponent that the shivers were visible, her violet fur standing and relaxing in waves along her back. As the dark move finished, Purrla flinched, closing her eyes and lowering her head, shaking it to clear her memory of the noise. While its adversary was temporarily disabled, Poochyena again went full speed at the feline, crashing into her head-on and sending her flying across the makeshift arena, landing hard at her trainer's feet. She didn't rise.

"Purrla!" Stormy cried in concern, reaching down and picking up the defeated Pokémon, who looked up at the girl with failure in her green eyes. "It's okay, girl. You did great, I promise." Purrla mewled pitifully and shut her eyes again, relaxing. "It's only our first battle. There'll be many more."

The Pokémon let out a nearly contented sigh as her trainer hugged her closer.

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It was nearly noon by the time Stormy and a well-rested Purrla were on their way to Cherrygrove City, having broken away from the tearful goodbyes of her mother and half-sister. Professor Elm had given her an address to the house of a friend of his where she could stay the night, since it wouldn't be possible to reach Cherrygrove before dark now.

"Well, Purrla," the brunette chirped to the Pokémon walking beside her, "We're finally doing it. We're going out into the world!" she shouted, throwing a fist in the air. "We're going to win lots of gym badges, and make lots of friends, and catch lots of Pokémon, and we're going to win in the Pokémon league!" she laughed as she fingered the locket Melissa had given her for her birthday. It was golden with a stylized pokéball etched on the front, and inside her half-sister had inserted a picture of Stormy's mother and Melissa herself. It had become very special to her already.

Stormy grinned and took a deep breath. "Wow, nature smells wonderful, doesn't it, Purrla?" she asked the creature as they moved through a small field. There was no answer from the violet Pokémon, and the girl noticed the feline's ears pointed directly at a small patch of grass a bit off to their left.

Suddenly there was a rustling in the grass. Purrla backed up a few steps, growling under her breath. Stormy followed suit, minus the growling, a little scared.

The blades of green parted to reveal a brown worm-like creature with a silver spike on its head blinking up at them.

After a second, Stormy remembered her pokédex and pulled it out of her bag. She activated the digital voice and listened carefully.

"_Weedle, the Hairy Bug Pokémon. The poison stinger on this Pokémon's head guarantees that any attacker will get the point right where it hurts."_

"Poison!" Stormy gasped, taking a few extra steps back. "Be careful, Purrla!"

But now that the unknown Pokémon had disclosed its identity, the feline seemed unconcerned, flippant even, though the poisonous danger seemed very worry-worthy to Stormy.

Suddenly it dawned on her. This was a wild Pokémon, right? So she was supposed to catch it, wasn't she? And that meant that Purrla would have to attack it. Drawing a slow breath, Stormy directed her only companion.

"Purrla, use scratch on that Weedle!"

The feline didn't move a muscle.

"Purrla, use your scratch attack!"

The Pokémon simply twitched her tail, yawning.

"Um, please?"

Not even a look.

"Oh, why won't you listen to me, Purrla?" Stormy cried, exasperated. She knew it wasn't safe to be out with only a creature that wouldn't obey her. She'd have to return home, and how embarrassing was that going to be?

Sighing, the trainer – though she wasn't entirely sure she'd have called herself that right then as her Pokémon disobeyed her – sat, disheartened, on a flat rock, head in her hands, unaware that they were being watched.

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"I feel sorry for that poor girl." the redhead sympathized. "Her Pokémon's not listening to her at all."

"We should help her." her raven-haired companion suggested.

"_Pika._" the electric mouse on his shoulder agreed.

"Yeah, we should. By the way, what type of Pokémon is that?"

"That's a Weedle, Misty. We have those in Veridian Forest, too."

"Oh, shut up and stop being smart with me, Ash. I'm talking about the other one. What did she call it - Pearl? Perla?"

"It's a Unova Pokémon, Purrloin. She must have nicknamed it."

The redhead nodded. "Let's go see what we can do to help."

"Okay."

The three of them stepped out from behind the trees. The brown-haired girl was on her feet again, trying to get her Pokémon to do _something_. As they walked closer, Pikachu called out to her.

"_Pika! Pikachu, ka!_"

The girl whipped her head around and blushed in response to their arrival.

"Um, h-hi..." she stammered nervously.

"Hi. Are you having some trouble?" Ash asked her, grinning.

"Uh, just, um... No." she lied.

"Are you sure?" Misty asked, offering a warm smile. "We'd love to help."

"_Pi-kachu._" the little creature trilled, switching from his own trainer's shoulder to the redhead's.

"Oh, he's...really cute." Stormy smiled, still wary of the two strangers. "I've never seen a Pikachu this close before."

"You can pet him if you want." Misty told her, "But be careful. Sometimes he just doesn't take to people, and it's a pretty nasty shock. Literally."

"Oh, I know...all about that." the brunette frowned, holding out her hand for Pikachu to sniff. He did so and, finding the girl satisfactory, moved his head under her hand. She laughed and stroked his smooth yellow fur.

"What do you mean?" Ash questioned. Stormy blushed again.

"Well, I just got Purrla this morning," she explained, motioning towards the feline, who was eying the strangers warily, "And she doesn't like me at all. She won't listen to me."

"Oh, he's had that happen quite a bit." Misty giggled. "His Charizard still hardly listens. And Pikachu used to outright defy him."

The brunette laughed. "I guess I'm not the only one." But soon she frowned, gazing in puzzlement at her only Pokémon. "But I don't get it. I battled my sister earlier and she obeyed me."

Misty shrugged. "Was it your first battle?"

"Yeah." she admitted. "Her Poochyena beat Purrla. She was really scared, though."

"Maybe that's it!" Ash said. "We just need to give Purrla an incentive to battle."

"Are you insane? We can't scare her out of her mind every battle." the redhead protested. "That's an awful way to treat a Pokémon."

"No, I mean like..." In the middle of his sentence, the boy reached for his backpack and unzipped it, pulling out a small plastic bag of brown blocks to show the girls. "A good incentive."

"Oh." Misty grinned. She understood.

But Stormy didn't. "What are those?" she questioned almost cynically.

"Pokémon food." he explained. "Our friend Brock makes them. Every Pokémon we've ever seen has loved them." As if to prove the point, Pikachu reached desperately for the bag, squeaking. "See?" Ash demonstrated, holding a block out for the electric mouse, who chirped excitedly and snatched it, downing the cube in a single bite. Taking another from the bag, the raven-haired boy held it out to Purrla, the violet feline eying him warily. "Do you want one too, Purrla?"

Slowly, flicking her tail back and forth, the creature padded forward on dainty paws. Sitting back on her haunches once she reached Ash, she sniffed the block with a discriminating look before swiping it so quickly he didn't even see her move. Like with Pikachu, the cube was gone in an instant. A feline smile crossed her purple-and-cream face, and her green eyes squeezed shut in contentment.

"I think she likes it," Misty said.

"Why don't we try battling for blocks, then?" Ash suggested. "All right, Pikachu, let's-"

"You can't use Pikachu!" the redhead interrupted. "He's way too high-leveled. Try Totodile instead."

"Okay, fine." the boy grunted, reaching for a pokéball on his belt. "I choose you; Totodile!" He tossed the ball and the small, blue crocodilian Pokémon formed from a beam of light, and – much to Misty's chagrin and Stormy's puzzlement – danced for a moment in joyful little circles before stopping and chiming its name.

"_Toto!_"

Stormy grinned. "Let's battle, Purrla!" she called.

There was no movement from the creature.

"Um...Purrla?" the brunette asked hesitantly, hardly wanting to look behind her. However, she did; the Pokémon was laying down, ignoring her trainer completely. Stormy blushed. "Uh... I'll give you another food block if you battle, okay?" The feline sat up, but made no move to go any closer to the girl.

"_Pika!_" the electric mouse cried, waving its small arms from Misty's shoulder. "_Pikapi pikachu kachupi. Pika kachu, pikachupi_!" it finished with a little smile.

"What's he saying?" Stormy asked, puzzled.

"I think he's convincing Purrla that you mean what you say." the other girl offered. As if to prove her right, Purrla sighed, rose to her feet, and stepped between Stormy and Totodile.

"You're going to battle for me?" the trainer asked, astonished.

"_Parr._" the Pokémon muttered.

"Okay, Totodile, use Water Gun!" Ash called. The Pokémon quickly complied, letting loose a powerful stream of water.

"Purrla, dodge it and then use scratch!"

The feline dodged, but she wasn't quick enough. The backside of her body was completely soaked, the ground muddied. Bursting forward, she extended her claws, aiming for Totodile's snout. The attack was a direct hit, sending Totodile flying backwards into the mud.

"Good job! Now use fury swipes attack!"

Purrla bounced backwards, but before her opponent could recover from the previous hit, she was again swiping at its face, digging her sharp claws in with every stroke of her violet paws.

"Totodile, headbutt!"

The blue creature tried to brace itself to attack, but its feet only found mud, and it slipped, sending Purrla flying head over heels. Both Pokémon lay on the ground, stunned by the respective impacts.

"Purrla, get up! I know you can!"

Hearing the confidence in her trainer's voice, the feline felt a surge of energy coarse through her veins. It wasn't like she was willing her paws to support her, but they did, and she stood, shaking and covered in mud.

"Totodile can't battle anymore," Misty, who had taken it upon herself to be referee, shouted. "Purrla is the winner!"

Stormy whooped happily and rushed forward, scooping up her exhausted Pokémon. "We did it, Purrla!" she cried triumphantly, "We won!"

"Don't forget her reward." Misty reminded the girl, handing the bag of blocks to her. "She deserves it."

"Of course she does." Stormy agreed, taking a block from the bag. "Here you go, Purrla." The creature trilled happily and consumed the cube quickly. "You really like that, don't you?"

"_Parr. Parr-loin!_" the violet-furred Pokémon purred.

"I have to thank you." Stormy smiled shyly at the two kids, plus Pikachu, in front of her. "You guys are awesome."

"Oh, don't mention it!" Misty chirped. "It wasn't a problem at all."

"Hey," Ash said, a look of realization crossing his face, "You never told us your name."

"I didn't, did I?" Stormy giggled. "I'm Stormy, from New Bark Town."

"I'm Ash." the raven-haired trainer supplied. "From Pallet Town."

"And I'm Misty," the redhead laughed. "I'm from Cerulean City."

"Isn't that in Kanto?" Stormy asked, eyes widening.

"Yup!" Misty confirmed. "We're here traveling for a while."

"Pallet Town's from Kanto, too." Ash huffed. The girls ignored him.

"Are you one of the ones who puts on the water shows? I've heard about them."

"Actually, my sisters do most of that, though I've been in a few of them. As has Ash," she smirked, elbowing the boy in the ribs, and receiving a groan for it. "I've run the gym in Cerulean, though."

"That's really cool. So you like water Pokémon, right?" the brunette inquired.

Misty nodded. "What types do you like?"

"I like fire types. I was actually hoping to get a Cyndaquil. Before I got Purrla." she added.

"I don't mean to interrupt you," Ash said suddenly, "but it's going to be dark soon."

"That's true." Misty admitted. Turning to Stormy, whose face had fallen as she realized she wasn't even close to her night's destination, the redhead suggested, "Why don't you travel with us? It'll be a lot safer, especially since you don't know if Purrla will obey you every time in battle yet."

"Okay." Stormy smiled, relieved. "Thank you."

"Of course." Misty smiled. "It's a lot of fun to sleep under the stars. I missed it so much when I had to be in a house every night, taking care of the gym. Do you have a sleeping bag?" she questioned. Stormy nodded. "That's great."

Only a half hour later, the three found a perfect spot to set up camp for the night. All were tired, and soon all were snugly in their sleeping bags.

Stormy watched from across the campsite as Pikachu nestled under the covers of Ash's, cuddling up with his trainer, who smiled and petted him on the head as he settled down. With sadness, she noticed Purrla curled up next to the dying campfire, closer to Misty than her own trainer.

A little upset that her own Pokémon was ignoring her, she fell asleep watching the feline's sides rise and fall in a rhythmic pattern of up, down, up, down, as the fading firelight cast eerie shadows on the creature's violet fur.

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**NARRATOR: Well, it's been an eventful first day for our heroes! But while they sleep, others are up – namely, a mother who is quite worried. How will she know her daughter's okay? And will Purrla ever fully trust her trainer? Find out next time!**

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**(A/N) How did you enjoy the first instalment of Season Thirty-One? I hope you liked it okay.**

**Just so you know, I call it Season 31 because it takes place a long time after the current events in the Pokémon series. (Ash and Misty are thirteen here, by the way. I made them the same age to make it easy, rather than Misty being older.) 31 _specifically_ was chosen because of Stormy's/my birthday, which happens to be just days after Ash's: May 31st.**

**Just thought you'd like to know, in case you were wondering.**

**Anyway, review PLEASE! I'm begging you, I really want to know what you think!**

**Thanks!**


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